North Dakota funds schools and requires electronic meal forms

The act sets aside money for public instruction and several state education agencies, including targeted grants and school programs. Funding covers the Department of Public Instruction, the Center for Distance Education, the State Library, the School for the Deaf, and the School for the Blind. Some funds are limited to listed purposes, such as student meals, gifted programs, teacher training, reading support, and school safety. Some one-time funds must be reported to legislative appropriations committees. Meal grants may cover free meals for public or nonpublic school students whose household income is at or below 225 percent of the federal poverty guideline. The main funding applies from July 1, 2025, through June 30, 2027. Some contract reimbursements cover services provided through May 2, 2025, and must be used by June 30, 2025.

Each school district must provide parents or guardians an electronic form to report household income for meal and assistance eligibility. The requirement applies to every North Dakota school district and all parents or guardians of enrolled students. Districts must make the form easy to complete and submit. A district must provide a paper form when a parent or guardian requests a nonelectronic option. Districts must provide the form at the beginning of each eligibility period or school year. This section takes effect July 1, 2026.

The superintendent of public instruction must use a separate payment calculation for approved districts that jointly provide educational services, and may reimburse certain shared administrators' salaries. The provisions cover cooperating school districts and special education units, including districts that jointly hire or contract with superintendents, business managers, or special education directors. The separate payment rate lasts four years and applies only to an approved cooperative plan. Salary reimbursements are based on the number of cooperating districts or units, with percentages ranging from 10 percent to 25 percent. Eligible groups must have approval, meet the stated implementation date, and report salaries by June 1 each year. The administrative salary reimbursement rules apply under the section labeled effective through June 30, 2026. The cooperating-district payment rules continue under the section labeled effective after June 30, 2026.